During the Sermon, Part 4

The point: Determine to heed the word with a resolute fixation of your minds.

The preacher's preaching is like one side of a Velcro fastener, and the listener's mind and spirit are the other, so that the word fastens upon the mind.

Such sins as in daydreaming, mental laziness, intellectual flabbiness in general, so that in the imagery that apparently stuck with many of you, the preacher's preaching will be like the one side of a Velcro fastener and your mind and spirit like the other, so that when they come together in the special presence of God, there is that fastening of the word upon the mind of the listener. For whatever work God does in the heart and issues in the light

4:25 - 5:09 Read in full sermon

The point: Determine to render the appropriate responses of the heart which the word demands of us.

Casual 'Bible talking' with pop psychology and humor is one-way entertainment, but Spirit-empowered preaching of God's Word is a three-fold communication involving God, preacher, and people.

You see, the whole notion that preaching is a form of one-way communication is sheer nonsense. Now, Bible talking may be one-way communication. When someone casually leans over a pulpit or a lectern and shares his little notions and insights about what he thinks the Bible may say, laced with pop psychology and humor and the charisma of an entertaining, laid-back personality, that may indeed be clever, entertaining one-way communication.

6:09 - 6:45 Read in full sermon

The point: Deal with your hearts to embrace the word as it is dispensed to us, not only in the light of it, but in the love of it.

Burroughs is quoted to emphasize that hearing requires not just attending to the word but actively opening the heart to receive it, embracing it with affections, not just apprehension.

is not a one-way communication, but it is this glorious, mysterious, and yet marvelous God-ordained framework of the living God, His servants, and His people, and all in the preaching of God. Of the word of God. Jeremiah Burroughs, one of the old Puritans, addressing this very subject wrote as follows, As there must be attending to the word of God, so there must be an opening of the heart to receive what God speaks to you. It is true that it is a

8:44 - 9:27 Read in full sermon

The point: Deal with your hearts to embrace the word as it is dispensed to us, not only in the light of it, but in the love of it.

Burroughs is quoted again, stating 'The heart is king in the little world of man' and 'The heart is the chief guest at every ordinance of God,' underscoring the heart's centrality in worship.

Not only in the light of it, but in the love of it. He later returns to this most vital of considerations and writes, The heart is king in the little world of man. The inward man must be employed in holy ordinances, not so much the ear as the understanding, not so much the knee as the memory, not so much the tongue as the heart, though as our Savior said, this must be done. But the other not left undone. In a word, the heart is the chief guest at every ordinance

10:05 - 10:44 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) is presented as a powerful example of preaching that demands and receives an appropriate heart response, leading to conviction and…

Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost is used as an example of powerful, Spirit-anointed preaching that directly confronts sin and demands a heart response, without relying on entertainment or ingratiation.

The word demands of us the appropriate responses to be directed from the heart, which the word demands of us. On the Day of Pentecost Peter was not trying to convince the Jews who slew the Son of God that He was a nice guy, and they weren't too bad a bunch after all. He wasn't telling a bunch of jokes to ingratiate Himself to them. He didn't bring around in his entourage of drum bangers and guitar twangers.

11:44 - 12:12 Read in full sermon

Driving home: They were stung sharply in their hearts.

The reaction of Dinah's brothers in Genesis 34:7, being 'grieved' or 'stung sharply' when their sister was violated, is used to explain the intensity of the conviction felt by the crowd on Pentecost.

Greek translation of the Old Testament scriptures out of Hebrew into Greek. In Genesis, it's Genesis 34, 7, the reaction of the brothers of that young woman who was violated by one of the pagans in the land. And it says that they were grieved when they heard of it. The anger of these brothers when their sister, when they knew their sister had been violated sexually. That's the word that's used here. They were pricked in their heart. They were

16:11 - 16:44 Read in full sermon

The point: When terrified by the word, fall upon your face and cry out to God for pardon and cleansing through Jesus.

Paul's preaching to Felix in Acts 24 is presented as a counter-example, where Felix's mind was engaged and his heart terrified, but he chose to delay repentance, illustrating the danger of an inappropriate response.

But instead of giving that appropriate response, what do they do? Well, some give a rationalizing response of delay. Look at Acts chapter 24, a rationalizing response of delay, rather than an immediate response of grief and repentance and humiliation. Paul is preaching in the presence of a heathen potentate.

18:10 - 18:41 Read in full sermon